Osric Chau might not be a name you hear often in the TV world, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a huge player in the ‘Supernatural’ world. That’s right, Chau is known for his work on The CW hit playing everybody’s favorite prophet Kevin Tran. He first appeared in Season 7 and continued to recur throughout Season 8. Well, now, Chau will be back as Kevin during Season 9 (so far, for three episodes) of ‘Supernatural,’ and I was lucky enough to speak with the actor about the hit series and what’s ahead for Kevin.

TVRage: Without giving too much away, what can we expect from Kevin this season?Osric Chau: I think one of the biggest things is, instead of spending time on the houseboat, now he can spend time in the Men of Letters. We should expect him to actually get to interact with people. That’s definitely something that he needed more of last season. So, I hope he’ll definitely have more time with the Winchester brothers -- he will get to spend more time with them, because he’s not isolated, he’s not in the desert anymore. Kevin definitely spends time with people this season. He does spend more time with the Winchester brothers, and he gets to spend some time with Crowley (Mark Sheppard). But apart from that, I still don’t really know, because we haven’t shot that much into it. I’m on my second episode right now.

TVRage: I’ve always been a little concerned for Kevin, because he was thrown into this supernatural world -- and he’s adapted pretty well -- but, he didn’t seem to fare well after deciphering the tablets (for the trials) last season. Is he ok, or should fans be worried?Chau: I think for the most part that, and not just fatigue and [the normal limits], he just wanted to get things done as fast as possible. I think my favorite thing about Kevin is that he reminds me a lot of a lot of people I know -- a lot of students that go to school, a lot of people that have work -- he’s just a normal guy who knows he has to get something done. Yes, it’s for his safety, but it’s for everyone else’s as well, and there’s just no excuses for him that’s acceptable to let those people down … But, apart from that, Kevin’s fine. He’s just incredibly tired and malnourished, probably.

TVRage: On another Kevin note, a big part of his character is his mom. Now, it’s been said Kevin’s mom (Lauren Tom) is dead, but we never actually saw her death. So, is she really dead?Chau: I wish I knew. That’s the nature of the show, right? Supernatural. Even if we did see her dead and [her] body, I think we would have her back. But, because the angels are expelled from heaven, and hell doesn’t really have a king anymore … the deathly realms [and] the doors are wide open. I feel like that’s a very strong possibility (laughs).

TVRage: How is it working with Jared [Padalecki] and Jensen [Ackles]? Is the set as fun as it seems?Chau: Yeah (laughs) … Jared’s the bigger goofball -- I mean, they’re both goofballs -- but Jared definitely has more of that side, where Jensen definitely has a lot of the moments where he’s just all business … They’re really fun to work with. Jared I relate to a lot. He feels like he’s a decade older than me, but we’re only four years apart. So, we actually grew up on a lot of the same things. We like a lot of the same things. Whereas Jensen is -- if I were to have someone that I would work with it’d be more Jensen’s type. Jared’s for fun, and Jensen’s the kind of guy I’d work with … It’s been such a pleasure and I couldn’t be happier to have it [his role]. I think that’s one of the reasons why the show has been on for so long is, because those two are so easy to work with.

In addition to ‘Supernatural,’ Chau is currently trying to make his way into the producing side of projects. He works on a lot of independent projects, but he doesn’t see it as another job, and rather as a way “to learn.” He’s also hoping to tackle a feature film with his roommate sometime next year. If I were you, not only would I keep an eye out for Chau on this season of ‘Supernatural,’ but I'd also look for him in other projects -- both behind and in front of the camera.

For more on Chau, be sure to follow him on Twitter! Also, don’t forget to tune into the ‘Supernatural’ premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 9/8c on The CW.

This is a great interview and I look forward to seeing more of Kevin Tran as well as Osric in general! Love that he gets along so well with the cast!

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 17th, 2013, 10:24 am

Jensen is such a professional. Everyone says it and it's certainly true by even the gag reels. Osric, like many who have worked with Jensen, has the very same things to say. What an amazing, talented, actor and director Jensen is. Of course he had wonderful things to say about Jared as well, but I can also see how only being remembered as a "goof ball" could hurt an actor. Jared is more playful and is quicker to goof around, before Jensen does. Osric only called it as he saw it and I don't think it was meant as an insult to Jared, or to put him down. They both goof around as we all see on the gags. Thanks for this article.

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 17th, 2013, 5:44 am

Sorry all but I stand by my comment that it is an insult to Jared to say he wants to play with Jared and work with Jensen. Actors are considered for jobs partly based on their reputations and when other actors say they would rather work with someone else that could impact Jared's ability to get jobs in the future. Because this is only one basically unknown actor saying that, sure, it isn't likely to have an impact on Jared's career. But, it isn't something you want people to say about you in any job situation.

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 16th, 2013, 10:26 pm

Jensen's professionalism has been mentioned by so many cast and crew, not only on Supernatural, but also his previous projects. It's really nice to see yet another co-worker compliment him again. He must be really great to work with.
Oh and I really hope Kevin's mom isn't really dead.

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 16th, 2013, 6:21 pm

You hear this a lot from guest actors on the show. That the boys like to goof off on set and joke around with one another. Kim Rhodes who plays Sheriff Mills was talking about how on her first day on set Jared was running around like a nutcase goofing off but as soon as the director called for everyone to take their places on set, he walked right up to her and asked her what she needed from him in the scene they were about to shoot. So their professionalism does shine through when it counts and she said that she really appreciated that from him because she was really nervous at the time.

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 16th, 2013, 4:59 pm

Actors and soon to be directors/producers seem to love working with Jensen. It was a fun article. From what I can see from the gag reels, both Jared and Jensen are a lot of fun. I want to see more of Kevin.

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 16th, 2013, 12:49 pm

I got the same impression, Roxi. He says that he has more fun with Jared because they're closer in age but likes working with Jensen. Didn't seem like an insult to either one of them. He even goes on to say that he feels as if one of the main reasons the show has been on for as long as it has is because "these TWO" are so easy to work with. Definitely doesn't sound like an insult at all. He loves working with them.
Great article!

roxi

Message Posted On Sep 16th, 2013, 11:01 am

Oh for Heaven's sake, he wasn't insulting Jared! It sounded like a compliment. What he's saying is that he's closer in age to Jared so they can have more fun together. To me he's saying he's closer to Jared than to Jensen. Geez.

Anonymous

Message Posted On Sep 16th, 2013, 8:47 am

Sounds like a bit of an insult toward Jared to say he'd like him to have fun with but Jensen to work with. From what we've always known Jared has just as much of a work ethic as Jensen.